Dark Days
by GeneralWolfen
Summary: When a soldier of the Wehrmacht is teleported to Equestria, how will he respond to suddenly being in a world of talking ponies?
1. The Incident

Author's Note: *First time uploading a story here, so please, give advice on how to make my stories better*  
>Sorry if the writing is broken into bits. I did this with Notepad. *ugh* When i get a better writing program, I promise this will look <strong>ALOT<strong> better.  
>My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro.<p>

Year: 1945

Country: Germany

Subject: Josef Maten, 29, Wehrmacht German-English Negotiator and Panzer Pilot

Location: 51st Panzer Battalion Headquarters, Rhine River

Features: Black hair, blue eyes

Josef looked up from the telegram he was reading. The damn Allies were asking for unconditional surrender only, and Josef knew his commanding officer would not go for it. It was either fight and win or die trying. Rubbing his eyes, Josef got up and stretched. Today was a very hard day. He had lost 3 of his friends and several were injured. It should also be noted the the supllies plane had been shot down, so there wouldn't be any supplies for a week. Josef sighed, then walked outside. The crisp air felt fresh on his face and there was, for once, no shooting going on, and he wished it would stay like this. However, he knew that soon the fighting would resume and he would have to rush out and fight once more for his "beloved Reich". Josef allowed himself a small smile. Everyone knew the Third Reich was finished. However, Hitler didn't seem to see it. He himself had ordered Josef's battalion to reform back at Berlin for one last push against the Russians. Taking his helmet off, Josef contemplated what would happen after the war. "I'll probably get sent to a prisoner of war camp" he thought bitterly. Still, that was better than what would happen if the Russians got to him. Josef had heard tales of what the Russians were doing, and it made him want to get to the Americans even more.  
>"Josef, quit standing there and get ready! The Russians are advancing!" his commander yelled.<br>Josef grimaced. "Yes sir!" he yelled back, putting his helmet back on.

Location: Ponyville, Equestria

"Spike! I just finished cleaning this room up!"  
>"Sorry Twilight..."<br>It was midday, and Twilight Sparkle had just finished cleaning up the mess from an experiment that had gone wrong. She had been trying to teleport a flowerpot across the room. However, the flowerpot had instead exploded. Twilight had just finished cleaning up when Spike had come in, sneezed and knocked over ANOTHER flowerpot.  
>"It's okay Spike, i'll just let you clean this up."<br>"Alright, just wait a sec..."  
>Spike went over to the mirror and started cleaning his scales.<br>"Spike? What are you doing?"  
>"Making myself presentable to Rarity. She invited me over to look at some dresses. She wants someone else's opinion on them."<br>"Oh.. I see..."  
>Twilight shook her head. Spike's crush on Rarity was cute, and he did everything for her. Looking around the room again, Twilight had an inspiration.<br>"Hey, I'll just try the experiment outside!"

Josef sat in the pilot's seat of his Panzer Mk-II. If there was one nice thing about this war, it was the Panzer Mk-II's. They passed over the ground so smoothly. Josef looked over at his co-pilot. "You ready?"  
>"Hell yeah I am."<br>Josef smiled, then fired the tank up. It made a sound like a lion roaring, then began idling. Josef slowly eased the throttle forward, and felt the all-too-familiar sensation of the Panzer lurching forward. With the smile still on his face, Josef made his way to the frontlines.

Twilight stood in the middle of a field, feeling sure it would work.  
>"Hey Sugahcube, Y'all sure this'll work?" Twilight's friend Applejack asked.<br>"I have no idea!" Twilight responded. Looking up, she noticed her other friend Rainbow Dash flying around.  
>"Hey Rainbow, you watching?"<br>"Yeah, yeah." Rainbow responded distractedly, going into a barrel roll.  
>Twilight nodded. "Here goes." Closing her eyes, she concentrated hard. A small beam of electricity appeared around her horn, slowly engulfing it. Applejack watched with wide eyes and Rainbow even landed beside her to watch. Suddenly, the electicity beam shot out, making a small ball in the middle of the field. Twilight opened her eyes.<br>"What? That wasn't supposed to happen." she said, slightly annoyed.  
>"Maybe ya'll need to practice ah bit more." Applejack suggested.<br>Rainbow, too, looked ready to say something, when suddenly, the ground started to shake. The ball of electricty started to grow bigger, blowing burst of wind in all directions and letting out a sound like thunder.  
>"Twilight! What's going on?"<br>"I don't know!"

Josef jumped as he felt his Panzer jump. Stopping, he looked around. "What was that?"  
>"I don't know. Perhaps artillery?"<br>"No, we're not even at the war zone yet."  
>Suddenly, a white ball of light appeared in front of the Panzer, slowly drawing it in.<br>"Woah!" screamed Josef, putting the Panzer into full reverse. However, full reverse had no effect. As the Panzer made contact with the white ball, there was a flash, then nothing.


	2. The Finding

Author's Note: Well, here I am again, updating this story.  
>My Little pony: Friendship is Magic belongs to Hasbro.<p>Location: Equestria<p>

Josef groaned. Opening his eyes, he noticed it was rather dark.  
>"What... happened?" he asked out loud. Next to him, he heard his co-pilot shift.<br>"I don't know, but I can say one thing."  
>"What's that?"<br>"You suck at driving."  
>Josef smiled, and sat up. He was still in the pilot seat his Panzer Mk-II. Looking around, his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. His co-pilot was tangled up in some ropes and had lost his field cap. Josef reached up and felt his head, making sure his helmet was still there. It was, so he breathed a sigh of relief. It was cut short, however, when he noticed something.<br>"Hey Edward?"  
>"Yeah?"<br>"Did you notice how quiet it is?"  
>"Yes... I did..."<br>Josef groaned and got out of chair. Moving to the tank's hatch, he opened it and look outside. What he saw took his breath away.  
>"Edward?"<br>"What?"  
>"I don't think we're in Berlin anymore."<br>For before Josef's eyes sat rows and rows and rows of apple trees. Looking to the side, Josef could see a small river about 5 feet away from where his tank sat. Looking around, Josef nodded. "We are definitely not in Berlin." he thought. Edward popped up next to him and looked around.  
>"What? Are we... on an apple far,? How the HELL did we get here?"<br>Josef couldn't answer, for he himself did not know. Suddenly, he remembered.  
>"That ball of whatever we hit... It must have brought us here."<br>"Well that's freakin' perfect..."  
>Josef nodded. Getting out of the tank, he jumped down to the ground. "Well, we got nothing better to do, so let's look around." he said, taking a rifle off the back of the tank.<p>

No one in Ponyville could make sense of what they had seen and heard. A huge explosion had rocked the earth, then a blinding flash of light had eminated from Sweet Apple Acres. From the middle of town, 3 little fillies had seen what happened.  
>"What do you think it was?" asked the small filly that had a red mane with a bow in it.<br>"I don't know, but we should check it out!" replied the second filly, an orange pegasus with a purple mane.  
>"We should! Cutie Mark Explosion Investigators!" cried the last filly, a white unicorn with a purple and pink mane.<br>Giving each other a high-hoof, they quickly ran off towards where the explosion had come from.

Back in the field, Applejack, Twilight and Rainbow were discussing what had happened.  
>"Twilight, what d'ya think et was?" asked Applejack, looking toward where the light had been. It was about a mile from their current position.<br>"I don't know." said Twilight, concern in her eyes. "But whatever it was, it was big. Real big. It could possibly be dangerous."  
>Rainbow just smiled. "Oh please. I'll just fly over, see what it is, come back and problem solved!" Giving the two a wink, Rainbow took off into the sky. Applejack turned to Twilight and shook her head.<br>"Sometimes Ah think she's just ah bit too reckless."

Rainbow flew overhead, loving the feel of the wind on her wings. "She probably just moved a huge boulder or something." she thought, smiling also at the thought of what Twilight would say if it was indeed just a boulder. Reaching the spot, she stopped... and blinked. Rubbing her eyes, she looked again. "What the...?"

Josef held the rifle in his arms, trying to control his impatience. He HAD been trying to go explore, but Edward kept insisting on things Josef should take "just as a precaution." Sighing, Josef looked around. He wondered if he could possibly claim this land for the Third Reich. If they lost the war, it'd be nice to have somewhere to go and pretend nothing had ever happened. Looking up in the sky, he saw something hovering there. Frowning, he squinted. It almost looked like... a flying horse. Josef stopped, and thought about it. "Edward, give me the binoculars."  
>Recieving the binoculars, Josef looked up again.<br>"Oh my..."  
>Raising his rifle, he thought "This will be great for my next hunting conference. They'll be all like 'check out this duck I shot' and I'll be like 'Screw you guys, this is way better!'" Grinning, he took aim at the wings of the creature.<p>

Rainbow couldn't believe her eyes. It looked like a small house made of metal. And there was... something standing there, STARING at her. If she could describe the thing in one word, it'd have to be 'bizarre'. A loud sound like a crack brought her back to her senses. Whatever the thing was, it had SHOT at her! Quickly turning around, she zoomed back to Twilight and Applejack, trying to figure out what she was going to tell them. 


	3. Ponies from Hell

Author's Note: Alright, a longer chapter. The others were too short.  
>My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro.<p>

Location: Sweet Apple Acres, Equestria

"What was that thing? And what was the thing that shot at me?" Rainbow tried to think straight as she looked for Applejack and Twilight. Finding them, she touched down and took a deep breath. Twilight gave her an odd look, then asked "What was it?" Rainbow shook her head.  
>"I don't know. It looked like a small house with wheels on it. Standing in front of it was a wierd creature. And it shot at me with some sort of long device!"<br>Twilight frowned. What her friend was describing was most puzzling. "Are you sure you weren't just seeing things?" she asked.  
>"Twilight, would I be able to make something up like this off the top of my head?"<br>"Well..." Shaking her head, Twilight looked back at the spot far away from them. "I think we should get the others before we do anything else."

The three fillies from earlier rushed through the town, making to the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres. The white unicorn turned to the earth pony.  
>"Hey Apple Bloom, think we should get Applejack?"<br>Apple Bloom shook her head. "Nah, Ah think she'd just get in tha way. Besides, Scootaloo can get us out of thar on her scooter if there be trouble."  
>Scootaloo nodded proudly. "Sure can, Sweetie Belle."<br>Sweetie Belle nodded. 'Okay then, lets go."  
>Without another word, they rushed to the source of the explosion.<p>

Josef lowered his rifle as whatever the thing had been flew away.  
>"Damn. I nearly had that thing. Stupid wind."<br>Edward looked back out of the hatch and glared at Josef. "Not even sure where we are and already shooting at stuff."  
>Josef glared back. "I was shooting at some unknown creature with wings and looked like a horse."<br>Edward just stared. "...okay then."  
>Josef rolled his eyes and looked back. "I'm going out whether you like it or not."<br>Edward threw up his hands. "Fine! If you get attacked, don't come crying to me!" And he ducked back into the tank. "I'll be fixing this thing..."  
>Josef nodded. Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, he set out down what looked like a dirt path.<p>

Apple Bloom giggled as they went along the dirt path. "What do you think our cutie marks will look like if this works?"  
>Scootaloo shrugged. "I don't know. But an explosion cutie mark would look cool."<br>Sweetie Belle giggled too. "The zipline cutie mark was supposed to look cool too."  
>Scootaloo glared at her, then looked back ahead.<br>Apple Bloom was in the lead when suddenly she stopped, causing the other fillies to crash into her. "Do you hear that?"  
>Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stopped and listened. It sounded like... singing! But it was in a language they had never heard before.<p>

While Josef walked down the path, it had occured to him how strangely quiet it still was. Looking at his rifle, he thought "If something attacks me, I have my knife, grenades and rifle. What's not to love with that combination?" Smiling, he slowly started singing:  
><em>"Alte Kameraden auf dem Marsch durchs Land Halten Freundschaft felsenfest und treu. Ob in Not oder in Gefahr, Stets zusammen halten sie auf s neu..."<em>

Twilight walked away from Fluttershy's cottage, with said cottage's owner trailing behind. They had already gotten Pinkie Pie and Rarity, whom they had come across in town. Now that they were all together, Twilight felt sure they could handle whatever it was that had riled up Rainbow. Twilight frowned. This was what concerned her. NOTHING ever got Rainbow riled up, except for that one incident with the dragon. Sighing, she looked at said friend, who was nervously flapping alongside Applejack. Applejack herself looked nervous. Whatever had appeared had landed on her farm, of all places. Twilight sighed. Today was not going how she wanted it to.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders waited nervously behind a bush for whatever was singing to pass by them. Scootaloo nudged Apple Bloom and whispered "Think it might be a foreign pony?"  
>Apple Bloom shrugged. "Most likely."<br>"Where would one come from to have a voice like that?  
>"I don't kno-"<br>They were cut off as Sweetie Belle gave a small screech. Turning to see what she was looking at, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo gasped too. What was walking by them... could not possibly be from Equestria. It was walking on two legs and appeared to be covered in grey, black and brown clothing. Perched upon its head was some sort of helmet and it was carrying a long device with a knife attacked to the front. The fillie's eyes went wide as the creature walked past, still singing that strange song. Scootaloo poked Sweetie Belle.  
>"What is it? What is it?"<br>"I... I... don't know!"  
>Apple Bloom looked back at them. "Quiet! It might hear you!"<br>Right as she said that, the thing stopped walking and singing. Turning, they heard it ask something that sounded like "Ist da jemand?"

Josef was walking confidently, loving the feeling the song he was singing was building up inside of him. It was an old song that he'd loved to sing as a kid. Staring straight ahead, he continued onwards, still feeling confident. Suddenly, he thought he heard whispering. Turning around, all he saw was a bush. "Is someone there?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. When he didn't get one, he shrugged and turned. _"Stupid foreign land making me hear things..."_ he thought irritably.

Apple Bloom watched the creature turn around and walk away. She was so intrigued by whatever it was that it took a hard poke from Scootaloo to bring her back to reality. Looking at them, she noticed Scootaloo was shaking and Sweetie Belle was on the verge of tears.  
>"What's wrong?"<br>Sweetie Belle looked at her with big eyes. "That thing... it scares me."  
>Scootaloo nodded in a greement. "Yeah... I really don't like the looks of it. We should go."<br>Apple Bloom sighed. "Oh come on. It didn't bother to search us out, so it can't be THAT bad!"  
>Sweetie Belle thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, i guess you're right."<br>Scootaloo too appeared to think, then just shrugged. "I'll stick with you for now."  
>Apple Bloom smiled. With the courage they were showing, they were BOUND to get a cutie mark this time!<p>

Twilight and the gang arrived at the gate of Sweet Apple Acres about 5 minutes after the episode with the CMC. Turning, she looked around at her friends. Applejack seemed to be reassuring Rainbow of something, Fluttershy looked scared as usual and Rarity was showing Pinkie Pie a new scarf. "Alright listen up!" Everypony stopped what they were doing and looked at Twilight.  
>"Now, Rainbow says whatever this thing was was 'bizarre' and shot at her with something. This can only mean whatever it was, it is dangerous. So that is why I drew up a plan for our safety."<br>The rest of the gang groaned, except for Fluttershy who just made a small 'eep' sound. They were in for another of Twilight's rediculously long plans.

Josef walked along the path quietly, still thinking about the voices he had thought he'd heard. Normally, hearing voices wouldn't bother him, but this was different. He was in a strange land that was filled with apples, and he had suddenly just heard voices. Shaking his head, he looked back. Still nothing behind him. Josef growled at his slight paranoia._ "I was just hearing things. Why is this getting to me?"_ he thought angrily. Sitting down on a rather large rock, he looked up at the sky, noting how the clouds didn't seem to be moving. Upon closer inspection, he saw something. "These clouds... they look like steretypical clouds off a kid's drawing." Shaking his head again, he looked back down at the ground.

Apple Bloom crept along silently. She was getting annoyed by her friend's constant poking and asking her where the thing was. She was just following the very strange prints it was leaving in the ground. Looking up, she gasped and dived into another bush, pulling her friends with her. She had just seen the thing sitting on a rock, looking up at the sky and talking to itself in that strange language. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo popped their heads out, looking at the thing. Scootaloo had a sudden idea.  
>"Hey guys. I'm going to walk up to it."<br>"Are you serious?"  
>Scootaloo nodded. Instantly, she was met by her friends in her face yelling. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? IT'S NOT SAFE!"<br>"SCOOTALOO, DON'T!"  
>Scootaloo cringed. She hated it when ponies yelled at her. Apple Bloom noticed her and said "Hey, no big deal. We're just saying, don't go-"<br>"Apple Bloom!"  
>"What?"<br>Sweetie Belle just motioned. Apple Bllom followed the motion and felt her heart freeze. The thing was standing up, pointing the device at the very bush they were hiding in.  
>"Amerikan?"<p>

Josef sat there, thinking about what he was going to do. As he was about to stand up, he suddenly heard yelling coming from the side of him. Looking, there seemed to be a bush with voices eminating from it. What was worse... the voices were speaking in English. Standing up slowly, he pointed his rifle at the bush. "American?" he asked cautiously.  
>Proceeding towards the bush, he could hear whimpers coming from it. Jabbing the butt of his rifle into the bush, what he had been expecting to fall out most certainly didn't. What looked like 3 small ponies had flown out of the bush, landing in front of him. One appeared to be white with purple and pink fur and a white... horn. The second was yellow with a red mane and bow tie. The third was... orange with a purple mane and wings? Josef shook his head. Whatever, it was just 3 small ponies, despite being a little odd. Looking away, he examined the bush again, trying to figure out where the voices could have come from.<p>

If Apple Bloom could chose to be anywhere other than her current location, she would take it. She was shaking so hard, the other two fillies could hear her teeth chattering. Scootaloo herself was trying to curl up and disappear. Sweetie Belle was crying by now. The creature had forcefully shoved them out of the bush and had examined them. Apple Bloom thought it was wierd though, that he ignored them after a second and went back to examining the bush. Looking at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, she made a motion that asked "Should we run?" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded, getting up. Apple Bloom herself was about to get up when suddenly the creature whirled around and pointed the device at them again.

Josef examined every bit of the bush he could find. There appeared to be no radio, so where could the voices have come from? Suddenly, something occured to him. Turning around, he pointed his rifle at the three small ponies. _"Oh my god, am I really about to talk to some ponies? I must be going crazy."_ He thought to himself. Out loud in English, he said "Wonderful weather."

Apple Bloom couldn't believe her ears. The thing had just spoken to them in their language! Looking at the other two ponies, she looked back up. Not knowing what to expect, she answered "Yeah, ah guess so." Now, whatever she was expecting, it most certainly wasn't this. The thing stared at her, lowered the device to its side, then immediately ran off yelling something at the top of its voice in its strange language. Shuddering, she turned to the other fillies. "Now that was horrifying."

Whatever Josef was expecting, it most certainly wasn't to have one of the ponies respond "Yeah, I guess so." Lowering his rifle to his side in shock, only one thing crossed Josef's mind:**_ "Run."_** So, that is what he did. Turning around, he ran back down the path away from the fillies, yelling "Ponies from Hell!"

Edward was back at the tank. He had just finished repairing the damaged steering system when he heard Josef. Looking out, what he saw made him start laughing. Josef was running faster than he had ever run in the war, yelling something about 'ponies from Hell'. Laughing, Edward slid back and let Josef literally jump into the tank, slam the hatch shut and retreat into the corner as far away from the hatch as possible. Sitting down across from him, Edward smiled.  
>"So how'd it go?"<p>

Another Author's Note: The song Josef is singing is _**Alte Kameraden.**_ It is a song I love dearly too.


	4. And So It Begins

Author's Note: My rabbit died, so I wasn't going to do this chapter today. However, I decided writing may actually make me feel better. So here's chapter 4.

* * *

><p>Twilight and the gang proceeded cautiously through the land of Sweet Apple strange creature could be anywhere. Turning a corner, she was met by the force pushing her back in the shape of 3 small fillies. Geting up, she brushed herself off and glared at Rainbow, who was laughing. Turning back to the fillies, she was about to scold them when she saw the looks on their faces. Scootaloo looked like she had just seen a ghost, Apple Bloom was crying and Sweetie Belle looked traumatized. "Girls! What's wrong?"<br>Rarity gasped. "Sweetie Belle!"  
>Applejack rushed to her sisters side and gently began calming her down, stroking her mane and hugging her close. Twilight watched her for a second, then tried to talk to her. "Apple Bloom. What's wrong?" Apple Bloom opened one eye and looked at Twilight. "We thought we had run into IT again."<br>Twilight frowned. "It?" she thought. Turning around, she looked at Rainbow. "Might this 'it' have something to do with what you saw?"  
>Rainbow shrugged. "Probably."<br>Twilight sighed. Turning back to Apple Bloom, she said "Don't worry. We're going to take care of whatever it is that has scared you." Apple Bloom smiled, then got up. Applejack smiled at her, then said "Now get back to the house. All three of you. Whatever that thing is, we don't want you near it again."  
>Apple Bloom started to protest, but was silenced by a look from Applejack. "No but's. Just go." Apple Bloom sighed. "C'mon guys let's go."<br>Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded, then the three took off for the farmhouse. Twilight watched them for a second, then turned back. "Alright girls, onwards!"

* * *

><p>Josef sat cowering in the corner of his tank. Edward had tried to coax him out for a while, but given up and instead opted to lounge in the pilot's chair reading a pamphlet. Josef looked up at him, a thought occuring. "Hey... this IS a tank. Why don't we... make use of it."<br>Edward glanced up. "Going hunting for more 'Hell Ponies'?"  
>Josef glared at him. "Shut up. I was probably just hallucinating. Either way, we'll be safe driving this around instead of on foot."<br>Edward sighed, then put the pamphlet away. "Fine, but I'm driving."  
>Josef shrugged. "Whatever. I'll just criticize everything you do. No big deal."<br>Edward face-palmed. "This would be so much easier if we had our commanding officer with us."  
>Josef nodded. "Yes. Now get out of the chair."<p>

* * *

><p>Twilight looked around a corner cautiously. No sign of anything. Turning around, she went up to Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, you're good with animals. So whatever this thing is, you can just use that creepy stare of yours on it." Fluttershy blushed and tried to hide behind her mane even more. Smiling, Twilight walked back up to the front. Motioning for the others to follow her, she walked along the river that went through Sweet Apple Acres. Following it a ways, she heard a cry from Rainbow.<br>"There it is! Oh my gosh!"  
>Looking up, Twilight stared at where Rainbow was pointing... and felt her jaw drop. "What is that thing?"<br>Rarity gasped. "Look at the colors! Appalling!"  
>Pinkie Pie giggled. "Oh come on silly. It's easy to fix that!" Turning around, Twilight went to make a remark and noticed Pinkie was holding some balloons.<br>"Pinkie, where did you get those?"  
>"I always carry emergency balloons in case of lack of color!"<br>Twilight face-hoofed, then turned her attention back to the thing. It appeared to be rectangular in shape, with a slightly smaller box on top and a long tube sticking out of it. There was what looked like a bunch of wheels on the side, and some shovels. There were also nets covering part of it and another smaller tube set in the bottom middle with a slit next to it. Moving right up next to the thing, she put her hoof out and felt the surface. _"This thing is made of metal! But why?"_ Looking at the wheels, she noticed there were treads going around them. _"Treads? But that idea has never worked!"_ Going around the machine, she tapped it with her hoof... and was immediately met by a loud roraing sound coming from the thing.

* * *

><p>Josef looked around his tank, making sure everything was in place. Edward had reported it was only the steering mechanism that was broke, but Josef still had his misgivings. There could be a screw loose or something. Giving everything his approval, he powered his beloved Panzer up, creating the sound that twilight had heard. And it was good thing the tank was so loud, or he would have heard Twilight scream.<p>

Twilight ran back to her friends, all of whom looked equally as scared as her. Rarity had even passed out in a dead faint. The rest of the ponies huddled together, waiting to see what the thing would do. The thing moved slowly forward, then turned down the dirt path. Pressing together harder, they moved off the path and into the trees, dragging Rarity with them. As the thing rumbled past, Twilight watched it closely. The treads were working exactly how they were supposed to... but whenever any pony had ever tried in history, they never worked! Utterly fascinated, Twilight just watched as the tank left. However, she was interrupted out of her thoughts by Applejack poking her hard. "Ouch! What?"  
>"Twilight! That thangs headed right for Ponyville!"<br>Twilight gasped. "Oh no..."

* * *

><p>Josef grinned as his Panzer slid along. It ran so smooth that when he got back to Berlin, he was stealing one for use as a car. Coming to a crossroads, he got up, popped open the hatch and looked out. Scanning the area, he noticed 2 things: 1. There was a house with a barn up on top of a hill. 2. At the other end of the road was a sign that stretched over the whole road. getting back into the tank, he drove towards the sign. Stopping in front of it, he looked out and read it. It was written in English and he had to stare at it for a moment.<br>"Sweet... Apple... Acres... THAT explains all the apple trees." Looking around, he saw another sign. _"Ponyville, one mile"_  
>Shrugging, he climbed back down and started down the road for 'Ponyville'. Turning to Edward, he asked "What kind of a name is Ponyville?"<p>

* * *

><p>Twilight and the gang raced for the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres. Rarity had revived shortly after the tank left. Coming to the crossroads, Applejack looked at her house. "Well, it ain't up thar, so et had to have definitely headed towards town."<br>Twilight groaned. "Oh no... there'll be an uproar when the residents see THAT thing rolling down their street..."

* * *

><p>Josef looked out through the small viewing slit, not believing his eyes.<br>"Edward?"  
>"Yeah?"<br>"Ponies."  
>Edward gave him a glance, then popped open the hatch and looked out. What he saw made him gasp. Ponies indeed were everywhere. They were all different colors and had different features. Some had horns, some had wings, some had neither. But one thing was for sure: ALL were staring at the tank. Edward stared back, then climbed back down and closed the hatch. Josef looked at him, then smiled.<br>"Believe me now?"  
>"...yes."<p>

* * *

><p>Rainbow flew through the clouds, trying desperately to find the thing. Twilight had ordered her to go scout for it, then return and tell her where it was. All Rainbow had to go on though was the screaming ponies that seemed to be fleeing back towards Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow swooped down and landed. She landed next to a green unicorn that was crying and spoke to her. "It's Lyra, isn't it?"<br>The pony nodded.  
>"Which way did it go?"<br>Lyra pointed a shaky hoof towards Ponyville, then ran off for the farm. Rainbow sighed, then flew up into the air again.

* * *

><p>Josef peered through the slit again. In front of them sat a town. <em>"Hmm... wonder what we could get if we pillaged that place."<em> Turning to Edward, he smiled. "Get on the turret."

* * *

><p>Rainbow landed down on the path again and swallowed. There it was, about 500 feet away from the entrance to Ponyville. Creeping up behind it, she crawled onto the top and looked it over. There was definitely a hatch, but the grip was so small she couldn't get her hoof under to lift. Sitting down, she stared at the hatch. Maybe a stick would open it? Looking around, Rainbow saw a nice, sturdy stick on the ground. Just as she was about to get it, a loud explosion and the thing lurching backward made her fall of the tp of it. Landing hard on the ground, she looked up to see one of the buildings in Ponyville on fire. Looking closer, Rainbow gasped. <em>"Oh no! The town hall!"<em>

* * *

><p>Josef peered through the slit once more. They had hit a tall building that was sitting in the middle of town and had columns around it. Taking out his binoculars, Josef popped the hatch open and looked at the building. A few ponies were feeling from it and some looked to be injured. Looking down, Josef yelled "Direct hit!" Looking back up, a groan turned his attention to the ground.<p>

* * *

><p>Rainbow watched the damage. She couldn't believe that this thing had just attacked Ponyville. Making a small groaning sound, she stood up to fly back to Twilight.<br>"Just where do you think YOU are going?" asked a heavily accented voice behind her. Turning, she found herself staring into the barrel of a small device, held by the creature that had shot at her earlier.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> FINALLY! SOME TANK ACTION! _*ahem*_ anyways, the small device is a pistol, if it wasn't that obvious. Stay tuned for chapter 5 coming tomorrow or Sunday or whenever i feel like doing it. Does anyone else carry around emergency lack of color balloons?


	5. Potato Mashers?

Twilight and the rest of the ponies ran down the dirt path to Ponyville. Rainbow Dash hadn't returned, and they were concerned. Applejack ran up next to Twilight and spoke to her. "Where do you think Rainbow is?"  
>Twilight sighed and looked at Applejack. "Hopefully away from the thing."<p>

* * *

><p>However, Rainbow was NOT away from the tank. Rather, she was inside it, held at gunpoint by one of the strange creatures. There were two of them, she had noticed. Two was a small number, but the destruction these two were causing by themselves was bad enough. "I'll ask you again, what are you and who are you?" asked the strange creature with the helmet. The other one was preoccupied with shooting at Ponyville. He was rather slow. After Rainbow had been taken prisoner, he'd only fired 2 more shots at Ponyville. Looking back at the man interrogating her, she still said nothing. She'd said nothing at all to the creature, and wasn't planning on starting now. The creature gave a sigh, then took his helmet off.<br>"You are trying my patience." he said, shoving the pistol right into her face. Rainbow's eyes widened in fear and she backed up slowly. Josef sighed. "Fine, we'll do this my way." Turning around, he grabbed some rope and tied it around Rainbow. Tying her wings shut, then her to a pole in the tank, Josef got into the pilot's seat and started the Panzer back up.

* * *

><p>Twilight ran faster than before. She had heard the sound of the thing starting up, and it sounded very close to Ponyville. Reaching the top of a hill, the 5 ponies looked around. The thing was proceeding across the bridge into Ponyville. It was a wonder the bridge didn't break. Going down the hill, Twilight turned to Applejack. "What if you bucked it?"<br>Applejack stared at her. "Beg pardon?"  
>Twilight nodded. "Go up to it, you buck it and we'll see what happens."<br>Applejack sighed. "Awlright Twalight." Running down the hill, she ran across the bridge. Running past the thing, she stepped right into its path.

* * *

><p>Josef stopped the tank and stared at the pony in front of him. It looked ready to charge. "Aw, isn't that cute?" he said. "Hey edward, you seeing this?"<br>Edward nodded. "I would love it if that thing charged us. It'd learn real fast how much flesh doesn't hold up against metal."  
>Josef laughed.<p>

* * *

><p>Applejack braced herself. "Ah must be crazy to be doin' this." she thought. Kicking her legs back, she charged at the tank. Inside of it, she could hear laughter. Jumping, she spun around and bucked the thing as hard as she could. As her legs hit the thing, she heard and felt something crack in both her legs. "Oh Celestia!" she yelped, falling to the ground. She'd fractured both her legs. Through it all, all she heard was laughter from the thing. Something popped in the top, and one of the creatures looked out. "Do that again! That was entertaining!" he said. When Applejack just glared at him, the creature stopped smiling and glared back. "Perhaps we should put you out of your misery." Going back into the tank, he came back out a few seconds later with a long device (rifle). Pointing it at Applejack, he said "Don't worry, this won't hurt... me." Just as he was about to pull the trigger, something hit him in the back of the head. Letting out a gasp of pain, the creature whirled around.<p>

* * *

><p>Twilight stood on top of the hill with a rock in her hooves. Rarity and Pinkie Pie both stood next to her also with rocks. "Try that again!" yelled twilight. In return, she was treated to a loud cracking sound and something whizzing by her ear. Gasping, Twilight dropped to the ground, pulling the other ponies with her. Looking around, she that Fluttershy was hiding in a tree. "Fluttershy! Help!" screamed Twilight as another thing whizzed by her head. Fluttershy looked up and saw the man firing at her friends. Her eyes narrowed. "How dare you!" she yelled. "HOW DARE YOU!" Flying out of the tree, she flew right at the creature. "You will not hurt my friends!" she screamed.<p>

* * *

><p>Josef stared as the yellow pony flew at him. He was used to people screaming at him, but this... was different. "Edward! We have a problem!" he yelled, getting down into the tank and pulling the hatch closed.<p>

* * *

><p>Fluttershy landed on top of the thing right as the creature went back into it. Rapping hard on the hatch, she yelled "YOU COME OUT RIGHT NOW! I WANT YOU TO APOLOGIZE!" All she heard in response was laughing. A heavily accented voice floated up to her.<br>"You want us to apologize?"  
>"YES!" screamed Fluttershy. She waited, then the hatch slowly opened. The creature looked out with a sad expression. "I'm sorry for the hurt we caused." the creature said. He lifted up a small thing that looked like a potato masher. "Please accept this as our apology."<br>Fluttershy grabbed the potato masher away from the creature. "It will take alot more than this!" she screamed. The creature shrugged, then held up 5 more potato mashers. "One for each of you." it said. "We'll be leaving now."  
>Fluttershy glared at the thing. "And don't come back!" she yelled, flying away.<p>

* * *

><p>Josef climbed down into the tank. Instantly, his sad expression went away and was replaced by a smile.<br>"Did she take them?"  
>"Yes, she took them."<br>Immediately, both men started laughing harder than before. In the bank of the tank, all Rainbow did was sit and cry. She was tied there, gagged as well. She couldn't even move her wings and it was painful having them tied down. The men looked back at the sound of her crying.  
>"Shut up!"<p>

* * *

><p>Fluttershy flew back to Twilight and the other. While she had been yelling at the creature, Twilight and Rarity had run in, gotten Applejack and brought her to safety. While they were mending her legs, Twilight looked at Fluttershy.<br>"Um, Fluttershy? What are you holding?" asked Twilight cautiously.  
>Fluttershy smiled. "A peace gift!" she announced, dumping them on the ground.<br>"They gave you potato mashers?"  
>"Yup."<br>"What's this?"  
>Twilight had noticed that the tops seemed to be slidable. Sliding the top off one, she held it for a second. There was a faint ticking sound. Her eyes wide, Twilight threw the masher away from herself. About three seconds later, there was a small explosion where Twilight had thrown the thing. Everypony gasped, then backed away slowly from the other 5 mashers. Fluttershy's eyes narrowed. "Those... those... THOSE!" Not even finishing her sentence, she flew back to the strange vehicle.<p>

* * *

><p>Josef and Edward were laughing harder than they ever had in their lives. Not only had they conned the pony into taking the grenades, they had heard an explosion a moment later.<br>"Rest in Hell, damn pony."  
>Josef grinned. "I still can't believe the stupid thing took them!"<br>edward laughed. "I know right?"  
>Suddenly, a very loud knocking drew their eyes up to the hatch. Grabbing his pistol, Edward stood up. "I'll do it this time, my way." he said maliciously. Opening the hatch, he saw the yellow pony from before. "YOU NEARLY BLEW ME AND MY FRIENDS UP!" she screamed, pressing her face against Edwards. Edward only smiled. Raising his pistol, he pressed right into the pony's leg and pulled the trigger.<p>

* * *

><p>Another loud crack made Twilight and the other ponies jump. However, this time they heard a scream of pain. "Fluttershy!" they yelled, running down the hill. Fluttershy was laying at the back of the vehicle, screaming and holding her front leg. Blood was pouring from a large wound that appeared all the way through her leg. Twilight gasped in horror and immediately used her magic to stop the bleeding coming from Fluttershy's leg. "We have to get her to the hospital right away!"<br>Using her magic to lift Fluttershy up, the gang proceeded to the hospital.

* * *

><p>Josef watched as the ponies ran away. Turning to Edward, he grinned. "You're so harsh." he said sarcastically.<br>Edward shrugged. "It gets a message through."  
>Turning back to his steering system, Josef started the panzer back down the road.<p>

* * *

><p>Author's Note: I didn't want to shoot Fluttershy, but I had to for the sake of the plot. Trust me, I <strong>cried.<strong>


	6. A Nightmare in Ponyville

Fluttershy lay on the hospital bed, staring up at the cieling. Her leg had been properly bandaged up, although the doctors had said that Fluttershy's mental stability may have been affected. Twilight couldn't blame her. It was probably the first time in recorded history that Fluttershy's stare had not only not worked, but had gotten her injured. Sighing heavily, Twilight looked over at Applejack. The doctors had commended Twilight on her quick ability to fix up her legs, but they were still monitoring her to be on the safe side. Outside, Twilight could hear the still-raging vehicle with its inhabitants. Growling, she felt hatred flow through her. These things had appeared, hurt her friends, rampaged on the town and were serious jerks. Looking at the destroyed town hall, Twilight saw something that made her heart wrench. A lone filly was moving amongst the rubble, calling for its mother. A tear came to Twilight's eye. These creatures were causing so much devastation, families were being wrecked. Suddenly, the vehicle loomed into sight. Watching its path, Twilight observed as it drove up to the rubble of the town hall.

* * *

><p>Josef got up out of the chair, smiling at Edward. "It looks like we have the run of the town. Get the flag." Edward nodded, moving towards the back of the tank. Passing by Rainbow Dash, he fumbled in a small footlocker for a second. Grabbing a flag and pulling it out, he turned to Rainbow Dash. "Today, you see the fall of your beloved town." he said, smirking triumphantly. Returning to Josef, he handed him the flag. Josef popped open the hatch and climbed out. Getting down off the tank, he strode over to the wreckage of the once-elegant town hall. Lifting up a piece of wood, he tied the flag to it, then hoisted the pole into the air. As the flag billowed in the wind, Josef and Edward gave a salute. Turning around, Josef saw many ponies staring at him out of windows. Pointing at the flag, he yelled "Ponies! Today, you witness a historic event! No longer will you live free under the rule of whomever it is you serve! From now on, you serve the Third Reich, and the Third Reich only!" With those words, he climbed up onto the tank. "Any dissidents will be murdered. Any pony attempting to flee will be shot on sight." Smiling, he added in "Enjoy the rest of your day." Climbing back into his tank, he nodded at Edward. "Go out and patrol." Edward nodded, grabbing his MP40 and climbing out of the tank. Dropping to the ground, he looked around.<br>_"Now then, let's see what kind of food I can get in this town."_

* * *

><p>Twilight and the gang stared out of the window. The creatures had just proclaimed the town as their own! To further their point, they had even hung a flag over the town hall's rubble. Twilight looked at the flag. It was red with a white circle in the middle and a most peculiar marking in the center of the white circle. It looked like a cross with straight-edged hooks. Applejack turned to Twilight.<br>"What in the hay is a Third Reich?" she asked.  
>Twilight shrugged. "Probably the deity they serve." Turning to her friends, she said "We have to alert Princess Celestia of this straight away. She will be able to take back Ponyville from these things."<br>Rarity nodded. "Have Spike send a letter to her straight away!"  
>Twilight thought for a second. "But... I don't know where he is. I had sent him out earlier to fetch me a few things."<br>Pinkie Pie gasped. "I know where he is! I'll have him back lickety-split!" and she tore out of the room.  
>Twilight stared after her. <em>"How does she know...?"<em>

* * *

><p>Edward crept forward cautiously. Some ponies had left their homes, and all were doing their best to avoid him. Some of the younger ones took an interest, but their parents quickly hurried them away. Edward smiled. With the way these ponies were acting, then he'd probably be able to get anything he wanted. Finally, he saw a sign marked 'restaurant'. Opening the door, he crept inside. A few ponies wereall trying to eat their lunches, but at the sight of Edward, they grew silent and stared at him. Glaring back, he walked up to the pony that looked like a waiter.<br>"You, quadruped! what do you serve here?"  
>The pony gulped nervously. "H..hay fries.. and... and shakes..."<br>Edward frowned. "Hay fries? Come on. Do you have anything good? How about a shnitzel?"  
>The waiter frowned too. "What in Equestria is a shnitzel?"<br>Edward groaned. "Fine... I'll take a... shake, you called it?"  
>The waiter nodded. "Anything else?"<br>Edward nodded. "Yes. Every single one of you calling me 'sir'."  
>The pony nodded. "Yes, sir."<br>Edward smiled. "Now get me that shake."

* * *

><p>Josef drove the tank around the streets. They were mostly deserted, although the occasional pony or two would dart across his path. Stopping the tank in front of a tree, he turned to the pony tied up in the back. Going up to her, he took the gag off. "Pony! What is this place?" Rainbow coughed, then glared up at him.<br>"Our library." she said angrily. She had decided a while ago she was going to talk to these creatures. If it kept them happy and a gag off her, then she would talk to them.  
>Josef nodded. "I see... Well, who runs it?"<br>Rainbow glared at him. "Twilight Sparkle. The unicorn that lives there and accidentally teleported you freaks here."  
>Josef frowned. "Wait... SHE teleported us here?" Turning around in thought, an idea occured to him. Turning back to Rainbow, he grinned. "And what is your name?"<br>"Rainbow Dash. The fastest flyer in all Equstria and I could beat this hunk of tin in a race in ten seconds flat."  
>Josef laughed. "Not if I blew you out of the sky first." He laughed again, then turned around. Rainbow only shuddered. This thing said such hateful things... and didn't appear to regret his words at all. Now the creature appeared to be getting out of the tank again.<br>"Stay here." Josef said, smiling at the fact the pony couldn't leave. Getting out of the tank, he closed the hatch and slid down to the ground. Walking up to the library, he kicked the door in, then crouched down and entered. At first glance, the library seemed to be clean, but upon closer inspection, there was the occasional book or feather laying around. Sighing, Josef called out "Twilight Sparkle! I was informed you live here! I want you come out right now or I will blow this house into next week!" Not recieving an answer, he frowned. "This is your last chance!" When there was still no answer, he shrugged. "Have it your way." he said. Turning around, he left the library, not bothering to close the door. Turning to Rainbow, he said "Where is she?"  
>Rainbow scowled. "Well, your buddy shot my friend Fluttershy. So probably at the hospital."<br>Josef nodded. "And where is the hospital?"  
>Rainbow told him and Josef nodded again. Pulling the hatch closed, he started the Panzer back up and started in the hospital's direction.<p>

* * *

><p>Twilight and the gang were nestled around Fluttershy, comforting her.<br>"It's not that bad. You could have died!"  
>"The animals will be pleased you survived."<br>"I could make a jacket for you to wear to hide that wound!"  
>"I could throw you a get-well-soon party!"<br>"Pinkie! I thought you were looking for Spike?"  
>"Oh right..."<br>Sighing, Twilight looked at Fluttershy. "Trust me Fluttershy, you'll be fine." Fluttershy nodded and closed her eyes. Twilight looked at Applejack, who looked ready to cry. Moving around, Twilight put her arm around Applejack. "Hey, it's alright. It could be worse."  
>Applejack sniffed. "I just want them things gone." she said, leaning into Twilight gently. Twilight watched her friend, then looked out the window. It seemed like so long ago she had accidentally brought the creatures here. From now on, she was going to practice a spell only if there was no teleportation involved whatsoever. A loud rumbling brought her to reality. Letting go of Applejack, she went over to the window. Her eyes widened as she saw the vehicle pulling up in front of the hospital. Rushing back to Fluttershy's side, she whispered "Rarity will watch you. Applejack and I will take care of this." Rushing out the door with Applejack following, Twilight headed for the stairs.<p>

* * *

><p>Josef opened the hatch and climbed out. Today was going rather well for him. He just hoped that Twilight Sparkle would be able to do what he hoped she could do. Forcing the doors to the hospital open, he was met by two angry nurses and a doctor. "We don't care that you took over the town. We will not allow you to do any harm to our patients!" said one of the nurses. "We will use our skills in medicine if we have to." At those words, the other nurse pulled a syringe that was filled with a green liquid off a cart.<br>Josef sighed. "You could try to stick that in me and I'd have all three of you dead in less than five seconds. However, I am here looking for a Twilight Sparkle." Pulling his pistol out, he pointed it in turn at the ponies. "And you WILL tell me where she is."  
>"I'm right here." said a voice behind him.<p>

* * *

><p>Twilight stood there staring at the creature, anger flowing through her like venom. The creature turned and pointed his gun at her. "Oh good. I was hoping you could do something for me." he said, a small grin on his face. That grin made Twilight's anger intensify. "I won't do anything for you." she said fiercely. beside her Applejack snorted and made ready to charge. The creature only shrugged at her.<br>"Oh I wouldn't do that if I were you." he said carelessly.  
>Twilight's eyes narrowed. "And I can stop you from doing any more harm." As she said those words, her horn started to glow.<p>

* * *

><p>Josef frowned. The ponies horn was glowing. Suddenly, a sharp pain from his gun made him drop it. Looking down, he saw his pistol's metal had turned red, as if it were being severely heated up. Looking back up at Twilight, he spoke slowly. "I tell you right now, if you hurt me again, all I have to do is yell, and my comrade will end the life of your friend Rainbow Dash just like that." As he said 'that', he snapped his fingers.<p>

* * *

><p>Twilight gasped. Rainbow was being held by these creatures? She knew she couldn't allow any harm to come to Rainbow, so these creature's punishments would have to wait. Sighing in defeat, she walked slowly up to the creature.<br>"What is it you need me to do?"

* * *

><p>About half an hour later, they stood in the field where Josef had first teleported into Equestria. Smiling in victory, he turned to Twilight. "And I want them to appear here." he said, motioning towards a clearing. Twilight nodded, closing her eyes. As she concentrated, her horn started to glow again. A beam of electricity shot out, forming into a small ball in the clearing. Josef watched anxiously. The ball appeared to be doing nothing. Suddenly, a blinding flash of light made Josef fall backwards. As the flash cleared away, Josef looked towards the clearing. His eyes lit up and he started to laugh triumphantly. In the clearing sat 4 unconcious men, as well as various assortments of equipment. One of the men stirred, groaned and sat up. Looking around, he frowned and got shakily to his feet. Looking again, his eyes fell on Josef.<br>"Josef?" the man cried.  
>Josef raised his arm in a salute. "Welcome to Ponyville, Kommandant Kruger."<p>

* * *

><p>Twilight gasped in terror. She had thought that the creature was only having her bring in more supplies. Instead, she had brought in 4 moe creatures! Sinking to the ground, she started to cry. She couldn't believe it. Now the terror was never going to stop.<p>

* * *

><p>Commander Kruger gazed over at the pony that sat crying. Josef had filled him in on the bare essentials, and Kruger was now taking in his surroundings. Adjusting his field cap, he turned back to Josef. "You did very good Josef. Very good indeed. Tell me, where are the headquarters you set up?"<br>Josef shook his head. "We don't have a headquarters yet. Edward and I only took the town about forty-fove minutes ago. Then i came here and had you teleported in."  
>Kruger nodded, looking around again. "He's taking this rather well." thought Josef, watching Kruger happily. Kruger turned back to Josef and nodded. "Well, let us get out of here and somewhere safer. I feel we are too much in the open."<br>Josef nodded again. "I will show you where the tank is, then you can pick out where headquarters is." Kruger nodded. Starting down the path, he turned back to Josef. Motioning at the three still-unconcious men, he said "Have them taken care of until they wake up." Josef nodded once more, then turned to Twilight. "You, pony! Keep an eye on them. If any of them get hurt, i'll kill the first five ponies I see."

* * *

><p>Twilight nodded unhappily. She didn't want any more harm caused on her part. Trotting over the to the men, she sat down and closed her eyes, trying to sleep.<p>

* * *

><p>Edward drank his shake irritably. First, the shake tasted like hay, so he had been drinking it over the course of about half an hour. Second, every pony he tried to talk to wouldn't answer him or ran away in fright. He had finally cornered a small filly and terrorized her into giving him a gold tail-ring she'd had on. He'd had it appraised and it was worth exactly 1 bit, as the ponies called their money. And finally, Edward was getting bored. He wished Josef would hurry back and give him something else to shoot at. Sinking into a small bench, he drank his shake and stared at the sky.<p>

* * *

><p>Josef and Kruger walked through the gate of Sweet Apple Acres and headed towards Ponyville. Josef had filled Kruger in on more details and was going into the account of how he had claimed the town for Ponyville. Kruger just kept nodding and acting like he was listening. Finally, the reached the bridge that went into Ponyville. "You first." Josef said, beckoning Kruger forward. Crossing the bridge, the first thing they saw was Edward sitting on a bench, drinking something and staring at the sky.<br>"Edward? Kommandant Kruger is here."

* * *

><p>Edward jumped up insantly, sending his drink flying. "Kommandant Kruger!" he said, quickly going into a slaute and looking straight forward. Kruger stood in front of him and returned the salute. "You and Josef are to commended for taking this town by yourselves."<br>"Sir, the ponies really didn't fight back. They just fled."  
>"Whatever the case is, you two did it alone."<br>Edward smiled. The Commander was not big on compliments, so this was like winning first prize at a contest. Kruger turned to Josef and said "Where is the biggest building here?"  
>Josef shifted uncomfortably. "Well... we may have possibly blown it up."<br>Kruger put his face into his hands and sighed. "Next biggest place?"  
>"I think we blew that up too."<br>"THIRD BIGGEST?"  
>"... the library."<br>Kruger nodded and gave a small smile. "That then, is our headquarters."

* * *

><p>Twilight awoke to the sound of some men talking and a prodding in her side. Looking up, she stared at the things that had been touching her. The three men had woken up, and apparently started a fire. They were talking to each other in their strange language and kept looking at her. twilight's eyes narrowed. "If you have something to say, say it to my face." she said unhappily. The three creatures stared at her in bewilderment, then one of them spoke. "Friend says pretty eyes." The language was a bit broken, but Twilight could understand. Sitting up on her haunches, she spoke again. "Who are you?"<br>The thing that had spoken pointed at himself. "Hans." Pointing to his friends, he said "Karl und Edwin." The other two nodded their heads then went back to talking. Hans stood up and walked over next to Twilight. "Apple?" he asked, offering her one. Twilight stared at him suspiciously, then took the apple from him. Hans smiled and loked skyward. "Nice evening. Hopefully no rain." Twilight jumped up.  
>"Nice evening? You have no idea what happened here do you?"<br>Hans stared at her with wide eyes. "Repeat?" he asked uncertainly.  
>"Do you know what happened?" Twilight asked again, glaring at him.<br>Hans shook his head. Karl and Edwin were staring at them now, looking astonished. Glaring at them too, Twilight said "Your pals destroyed our home! They claimed it for themselves and the 'Third Reich'."  
>At the mention of the Third Reich, Karl shuddered and said "Third Reich finished. Hitler dead."<br>Twilight stared at him. "And who is Hitler?"  
>Hans spoke up again. "Our Fuhrer. Suicide. Coward." Shaking his head, he looked down and took a bite out of an apple.<br>Twilight stared at the three creatures. They definitely were not as hostile as the other three. Maybe, just maybe... they would help her out.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> They're eating that apple!... And then they're going to eat oranges! OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD! *ahem* Anyways, could there quite possibly be a good way out of this situation? Find out next chapter.


	7. The End

Twilight sat next to Hans, Edwin and Karl, thinking what she was going to do. She had to convince them that they were fighting for the wrong side. How though, she couldn't think of. Turning to Hans, she asked "Why did Hitler commit suicide?"  
>Hans looked at her and scowled. "Russians invade Berlin. Hitler give orders. He shoot himself. Most everyone else kill selves too."<br>Twilight gazed at him. "Then you came here?"  
>Hans shrugged. "Moving to front lines with comrades and Kommandant. Ball of light appear. We make contact. Wake up in middle of apple orchard with you sleeping." Shrugging, he glanced around. It was getting dark, and Josef, Edward and Kruger hadn't returned. "I no like war. Very bad and gruesome. rather be here. Peaceful." Giving Twilight a small smile, he asked "How life here?"<br>Twilight thought for a second. "Well, we have Ponyville, which was attacked, Cloudsdale, which could not be attacked, and Canterlot, our capital. Canterlot is where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna live?"  
>Hans' eyes went wide. "You have two rulers?" When Twilight nodded, he scowled again. "Hitler only ruler. Everyone report to him. Millions killed in camps on his order." Shaking his head, he spoke again "Even soldiers killed of thought of sabotage."<br>Twilight nuzzled his arm softly. "Hey, you'll be safe here with us. No harm can come to you."  
>Hans smiled. "Good. Very good."<p>

* * *

><p>Josef led Kruger and Edward to the library. Noticing the door was still open from earlier, they all went inside. Kruger took in his surrounding and said "This will work well enough." Sitting down at a small table, he relaxed and closed his eyes, putting his boots up on the table. "Josef, I have a mission for you."<br>Standing up straight, Josef nodded. "What is it?"  
>"I want you to get a list of every pony in this town, then group them all together. You, Edward and the others are to root out the week and infirm from the healthy and strong. The weak we will deal with later. The strong are to immediately build us a fortress, under threat of execution if non-compliant."<br>Josef nodded. "Yes sir. Anything else?"  
>"Bring me some food."<p>

* * *

><p>Pinkie Pie sped through the streets. She thought she had known where Spike was, but he hadn't been there. Turning a corner, she saw the quill shop up ahead. In the window she could see a small purple dragon holding some quills and talking to a pony. Bursting through the door, she yelled "SPIKE!"<br>Spike jumped and turned. "What?" he asked, his eyes wide.  
>Taking a deep breath, Pinkie let it all spill out. "Some creatures invaded Equestria and claimed Ponyville for themselves. They've been causing mayhem all day and hurting alot of ponies. They injured poor Fluttershy! Twilight sent me to find you and send a note of emergency to the princesses, asking them for help. I thought you were at Sugarcube Corner but you weren't so I had to look everywhere else and now i've found you so let's get to writing that note."<br>Spike stared at her for a second, her words sinking in. Turning back to the pony, he said "Can I borrow some ink real quick?" The pony nodded, bringing him a bottle of ink. Spike took the quill and started writing, reading it out loud:  
>"dear Priness Celestia, Ponyville is under attack by creatures that defy your rule and claim the town for themselves! Your help is most urgently needed in this time of crisis. Your's sincerely, Spike."<br>Rolling up the scroll, he set fire to it and watched the ashes scatter towards Canterlot. Turning back to Pinkie, he said "Now let's hope she responds fast enough."

* * *

><p>Twilight watched Hans closely. She didn't think he'd try anything to hurt her, but she still had her misgivings. Currently, he was huddled up trying to sleep. The other two had, but Hans would open his eyes every now and then, watch the sky, then try to fall back to sleep. The three others hadn't come back, and Twilight didn't want to think about what they may be doing. Sighing, she curled up, trying to sleep. The cold made her shiver. Curling up tighter, she became aware of something being draped over her. Opening her eyes, she saw that Hans had put his coat over her and had gone back to the fire, sitting close to it. Smiling, her misgivings about him fell away. He had given up his coat, for her. Deciding she would try to coax him to her side in the morning, she closed her eyes again and managed to fall asleep.<p>

* * *

><p>-The Next Morning-<p>

* * *

><p>Josef groaned. The bed he had fallen asleep in was way too small for him. Sitting up, he felt bones crack back into place. Sighing, he stood up and made for the door. Kruger would most likely already be awake and ready to go exploring the town a bit more. Tripping and rolling down the stairs, he arrived into the kitched and stood up. However, the only person he saw was Edward.<br>"Edward, where is Kruger?"  
>"Said something about getting a little more 'help'."<br>Josef smiled. He knew the Commander's definition of help: Bully someone into doing everything for him under threat of murder. Sitting down at the table, he asked "Does this place have anything good to eat?"  
>Edward shook his head. "I looted all the cabinets. All there is is hay, grass and some flowers."<br>Josef growled. "These ponies don't know what's good to eat." Suddenly, a thought occured to him. "Hey... did we leave that rainbow pony in the tank all night?" Edward shrugged. "Probably."  
>"I'll go check." Walking outside, Josef moved over to the tank. getting up, he lifted the hatch and jumped down in. Sure enough, there she was: still bound to the pole. Apparently, she had fallen asleep. Poking her hard in the side, Josef yelled "Wake up! You have work to do!" Rainbow moaned and attempted to turn around. "Just five more minutes." she said sleepily, rolling over. Josef stared at her for a second, then jabbed his pistol into her side. "WAKE UP NOW!"<br>Rainbow's eyes flew open and she glared around. "Hey, jerk! Poke me like that again and i'll show you what an angry mare can do!"  
>Josef only smiled. "You don't remember me yet, do you?"<br>Rainbow glared. "No, am I supp-" that's when it occured to her. Gasping, she straightened up. "Oh Celestia, please don't hurt me."  
>Josef only smiled. "Oh, when we're done with you, you'll wish you were dead." Untying her, he grabbed one one of her wings in his hand and pulled her to the hatch. Shoving her out, he said "Don't even think of flying away or i'll shoot you right out of the sky."<br>Rainbow nodded. "What do you need me to do?"  
>Josef motioned towards the rest of Ponyville. "We're forming a work squad." A small smile on his lips, he added sarcastically "Thanks for volunteering to be the first." Shoving her forward with his boot, they proceeded into town.<p>

* * *

><p>Twilight shifted. She felt the coat slide off her and she looked up. The sun was just rising and the men were nowhere to be seen. Sighing, she sat up. Noticing the coat on the ground, she nuzzled it quickly and set off to look for the men. Walking down the dirt road, she listened intently for any sign of them. Every now and then, she came across a few bootprints, but they always went into the grass, where she lost them. SIghing loudly, she was all set to turn back when she heard a voice. Recognizing the language as the language of the creatures, she followed the voice to the source. Climbing over a hill, what she saw made her heart stop. The three men were in a small clearing, Hans holding a small filly. He was cradling it and trying to get it to stop crying. The other two men just stood around, unsure of what to do. The filly kept calling for her mother and crying gently. Hans was stroking her mane and trying to get her to stop crying. Finally, the small filly nuzzled into Hans' arm. Smiling, Hans stood up and started to walk quietly back to the dirt path. Reaching it, he didn't notice Twilight watching him. He was too busy looking up the path at where Applejack's house was. Looking at the house, Twilight could see quite a few ponies had taken refuge there. Hans motioned to his friends and said something in their language. The two other men shrugged and said something back. After a moment, Hans started to the house while the two others headed back to the camp. Waiting for them to pass, Twilight hurried to catch up to Hans. "Hy hans? Who is that?"<br>Hans jumped slightly and turned. Seeing that it was only Twilight, he smiled. "Small pony. Calls for mother. Returning to her."  
>Twilight's heart melted. This man actually had the decency to return the filly home. Trotting up beside him, she nuzzled his leg. "That's a nice thing you're doing."<br>Hans shrugged. "It's only right."  
>Reaching the gate to the home, everypony stopped what they were doing and stared in horror at Hans. A red pony with a pruple mane screamed. "It stole a filly! It brought the filly here to make us watch it eat her!" As all the ponies screamed, a few ran to get weapons. Big Macintosh himself picked up a pitchfork and hurled it at Hans' head. Hans ducked, waking the filly. As she started to cry, a purple pony with a black mane rushed forward. "No stop! Don't hurt her!" getting down on her knees, the mother crawled forward. "Please, don't hurt my child." As she reached Hans, she looked up at him with big eyes. Hans stared back for a second, then said "Why would I hurt this adorable creature?" Kneeling down, he released the small filly gently to the mother. The mother tearfully nuzzled her child, then looked up at Hans. 'thank you..." she said, trotting away with her child. The other ponies slowly relaxed, seeing Hans wasn't a threat.<br>Twilight walked into the middle of the group. Speaking loudly, she said "This is Hans. He is of the species that hurt our friends and attacked our town, but he is not a threat to us. He is different." turning to Hans, she asked "Hans, will you help us fight the evil creatures that came before you?"  
>Turning away, Hans thought for a moment. Josef and Kruger had always been jerks to him in the past. Edward had once thrown a live artillery shell at him just to see how many pieces it would blow off Hans' body. Plus, the Third Reich was finished. There was no point in taking over any more land. Turning back to Twilight, he said "I follow you into battle." Twilight let out a huge mental sigh of relief. Hans smiled and said "Edwin and Karl will follow too. Hate Kruger with passion."<br>Twilight let out an even louder mental cheer and turned to the ponies. "Alright guys, this is what we're going to do..."

* * *

><p>Josef watched as the squad he had formed laid the foundation for the fortress. Rainbow was flying around in the air on a chain, calling out orders to ponies that were doing the foundation wrong. Leaning back, he glanced to make sure the tank was still where he had parked it. Knowing full well no pony was dumb enough to attempt to take it, he still liked to make sure... just in case. As he relaxed, a loud <strong>*boom*<strong> made his eyes open quickly. The ponies working on the fortress stopped what they were doing and looked around nervously. "get back to work!" yelled Josef. Walking quickly to the tank, he grabbed a rifle off it and moved towards the sound. It had come from the top of a hill just north of where he was. Reaching the top of it, all he saw was a small potato masher grenade. Picking it up, he realized the top was off. His eyes widening in horror, he flung the grenade away from himself. However, he wasn't fast enough. The grenade exploded in mid-air, sending Josef flying backwards. As pain rushed through his arm, he hit a tree and lost conciousness.

* * *

><p>While Josef left, Twilight, Hans and the rest of the Mane 6 (except for Rainbow) crept toward the foundation. Fluttershy had been cleared to leave the hospital, just to not do much running, which was fine seeinf as to she had wings. Flying up, Fluttershy unlocked the leash around Rainbow's neck. Rainbow rubbied her neck, then pulled Fluttershy into a small hug. "Glad you pulled through." Rainbow said with a smile. Fluttershy smiled back and they both flew to the ground, hovering above the others. Twilight and Hans were rushing every pony off the foundation and telling them to hide. As rainbow reached Twilight, she asked "What about the other two that remain?"<br>Twilight smiled.

* * *

><p>Kruger sat back in his chair outside the library. He had come back from getting forced labor and was now watching them erecting a monument to Adolf Hitler. A tapping on his shoulder made him look around. A small orange filly with wings sat there, glaring at him. "What do you want?" asked Kruger angrily.<br>The filly stuck out her tongue. "Just to see your ugly face." she said happily, turning and running off. Kruger scowled. 'Why you..." Jumping up out of his chair, he rushed off after the pony. Following her into a dead end, he grinned and pulled out his pistol. Aiming at her head, he asked "Are you ready for the consequence of insulting me?"  
>The filly only smiled. "Are you ready?"<br>The comment through Kruger off. "What...?" The filly pointed up. Looking up too, the last thing Kruger saw was a piano falling onto him. Grinning, the filly waved up at the cross-eyed pony that had dropped the piano off the back of a cart. "Thanks Derpy!"

* * *

><p>Edward paced around the outskirts of town. It was rather quiet and Edward didn't like it. His finger clutched around the trigger of his MP40, he turned and reentered town. Walking the sreets, the ponies that he passed all ignored him. Shrugging, he thought to himself "I'll go see how Josef is getting along with the fortress." Heading in that direction, he passed by a group of ponies. Glaring at them, he noticed one had a rainbow mane. Glaring at her specifically, he kept on walking. "Probably a lesbian..." Reaching where Josef was, Edward blinked. There was no one in sight. The foundation was there, but everyone was gone. The silence now clicked into place. "They're waiting to ambush me..."<p>

* * *

><p>Twilight watched Edward through the bushes she was hiding behind. "Now take three steps back..." she thought. However, Edward didn't take three steps back. Instead, he ran forwards toward something. Twilight frowned. Turning to see better, she watched in horror as Edward dived into the tank, pulled the hatch closed and started it up. "Oh no..."<p>

* * *

><p>edward smiled triumphantly. "No damn pony shall get me now!" he thought. Easing the tank to the right, he pushed the throttle forward to go at full speed. If anything got in his way now, he'd just plow through it.<p>

* * *

><p>Hans watched as the tank rolled through the streets. A sudden idea hit him. Getting up, he ran to one of the low buildings in Ponyville. Climbing up the side, he got onto the roof and crouched low. As the tank passed by, Hans jumped onto the top of it. Rapping hard on the hatch, he tensed up, ready to fight. In the tank, Edward tied the throttle down, so that the tank would keep going. Opening the hatch, he saw Hans. "Hans, you idiot! Get in her-" his words were cut off as Hans punched Edward in the face. Holding his noce, Edward got out and stood up. "So, you joined the freak ponies, did you?" When Hans only nodded, Edward pushed him back and started to kick him. "Then you shall die right now!" Edward yelled. Kicking harder, he felt Hans go limp. Smiling, he started to push Hans off the tank. Suddenly, Hans reached up, grabbed Edward by the neck and choked him hard. Coughing, eward grabbed at Hans' hands and tried to pull them off. When he couldn't he stomped hard on Hans' ribs. Hans gasped and let go of Edward. Moving back, Edward pulled a knife out of his belt. "Let's see how much blood's in you." he said angrily. Kneeling down, he stabbed Hans in the stomach, then the chest. Right then, Hans kicked around and made contact with Edward's face. Howling in pain, Edward fell back. Hans sat up, kicked him hard in the face again and Edward tried to crawl to the hatch. Using the last of his strength, Hans pulled a grenade off his belt, pulled the top off and threw it into the hatch of the tank. Rolling off, he hit the ground and lost all conciousnessness.<p>

* * *

><p>Twilight ran through the streets, trying hard to find Hans. She had left him near the library, then had run off to assist in getting the ponies away from Josef. As she ran, she noticed a shape in the road up ahead. Running faster, she could see it was Hans, bloodied and heavily bruised. tears in her eyes, Twilight used her magic to stop the bleeding. A loud explosion made her jerk her face up and look into the distance. She could see the tank... and it had apparently exploded. On the ground next to it, she could see the burning body of Edward. Turning her attention back to Hand, she nuzzled his neck softly. "Oh Hans, please don't leave me." she whispered.<p>

* * *

><p>Josef groaned. Opening his eyes, he became aware that he was laying face-down on the ground. The second thign he bace aware of was that he couldn't feel his right arm. Shifting, he looked at his arm and screamed. It had been blown off at the elbow and what was left had been burned so bad that there wasn't even any bleeding. Struggling to sit up, he kept staring at his arm. Looking around, he could see ponies in the town celebrating. "That could only mean one thing: defeat. Hatred washed over Josef. Using his left arm, he pulled his last grenade out and set for town.<p>

* * *

><p>Applejack, rarity, Rainbow, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie all stood in the middle of town, celebrating happily with the rest of the ponies. They had defeated the three invaders and their monstrous machine! Suddenly, every pony fell silent. A chariot was flying through the air headed straight for them. As the chariot landed, they could see that Princesses Celestia and Luna were in it, concern in their eyes. As they climbed out, every pony bowed. Noticing the 5 of the mane 6 standing their, Celestia made for them first. "We came as soon as we could. Where are these invaders?"<br>Applejack smiled proudly. "We took care of tham, yer highness."  
>Celestia looked shocked. "You all did?"<br>"Yep. Every pony in town just about did their part."  
>Looking around, Celestia noticed that somepony was missing. "Where's Twilight?" she asked.<br>Just as Applejack was about to answer, a sound behind them made them all turn. Josef stood there, holding his grenade and looking murderuos. Applejack gasped. "Yer highness, that was one of them."  
>Celestia scowled. "You do know what the penatly is for invading one of my towns is, right?"<br>Josef shook his head. "No. All i do know is that if i'm going down, alot of you are going with me." He motioned with the grenade. Celestia gasped. As her guards made to charge, Josef pulled the top off the grenade with his mouth and rushed forward. As everypony ducked away, Celestia's horn glowed. A circle of energy formed around Josef. The grenade exploded and everything inside the circle became shrouded in smoke. When it cleared away, there was nothing left. The energy dissipated. Turning back, Celestia said "That takes care of him then. Now, I shall ask again: Where is Twilight Sparkle?"  
>Applejack looked down. "I don't know."<p>

* * *

><p>Unknown to them, Twilight was at the edge of town, curled up next to a body and crying. She had listened to Hans' heartbeat get slower and slower... until it finally stopped. She had stayed with him until the end. Now, all she could do was cry. Nuzzling Hans' neck, she whispered "Ill remember you always." Hearing footsteps, she looked up. Edwin and Karl stood there. Seeing that she was crying and Hans was not moving or breathing, they took their helmets off and set them on the ground. Twilight watched them. "Please... leave me alone." she asked. They nodded and walked away. Looking back towards Hans, she nuzzled his neck.<p>

* * *

><p>Celestia made her way through the streets, her eyes full of concern. Closing her eyes, she used a tracking spell to see where Twilight was. Getting her location, Celestia started to gallop. When she arrived, Celestia's mood changed when she saw Twilight. Twilight by now had snuggled her way into hans arm and had curled up there. Prodding Twilight, Celestia asked "Twilight?" Twilight looked up and bowed her head. "Oh Celestia... I couldn't save him." Celestia stared at her for a moment. "Did... did you love him?"<br>When Twilight didn't answer, Celestia got her naswer. "Luna!" she called. Luna appeared moments later. "Yes sister?" Clestia whispered into Luna's ear and they both looked at Twilight. "Twilight?" Celestia asked again. Twilight looked up. "If there were a way to bring him back, would you do it?" Twilight stared at Celestia, standing up slowly. Nodding her head, she looked at Hans again. "There is a spell to bring him back, but it requires a second pony... one to give him life." Twilight thought for a moment, then she understood.  
>"I'll do it." she said.<br>Celestia smiled. "However, he will come back as one of us. He will be a pony forever. Do you want that too?"  
>Twilight nodded again. She wanted Hans back no matter what the cost was.<br>Celestia turned to Luna and said something else. Luna nodded and closed her eyes. As her horn started to glow, Celestia turned to Twilight. "Get close to him." she said, closing her eyes too. Twilight trotted back over to Hans and nestled into his arm.

* * *

><p>Applejack and the rest of the gang rushed over to where Celestia and Luna were standing. Stopping, they watched in awe as Twilight and Hans were engulfed in a shining golden light. As the light travelled upwards, the light took the shape of a circle, then turned into a heart. The light shone brightly, then started pulsing. As Applejack and everypony else shielded their eyes, the light faded away. On the ground again sat Twilight, but next to her was a gray colt with a golden mane and a shield for a cutie mark. Twilight groaned, then looked over. Seeing Hans, she squealed and nuzzled into his neck. Hans groaned and shook his head. Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was Twilight staring at him with the biggest eyes ever.<br>"Now those I could wake up to every day." he said with a smile.  
>Twilight giggled, then kissed him.<p>

* * *

><p>Author's Note: AND FINISHED! This turned out better than I hoped it would. Pease leave a review so the next story I write will be better.<p> 


	8. Author Alert

Just writing this to let you all know I will most possibly write a sequel.

If you have a request for an idea, send me a private message containing the idea and i'll consider it.

Thanks you very much to all who read and reviewed. You're the greatest.

-Gen 


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